Rockford's inside-outside tandem foil East Kentwood
By Jeff Chaney The Grand Rapids Press

KENTWOOD -- The inside-outside game of Rockford's Mitch Briggs and Gabe Vanderjagt was on display Tuesday night at East Kentwood High School.

Vanderjagt, a junior guard, led the Rams in the first half with some precision shooting from the outside.

Briggs, a senior post player, took over after halftime and helped Rockford beat host East Kentwood 64-51 in O-K Red Conference action.

"Gabe carried us early, and then Mitch took over in the second half," Rockford coach Steve Majerle said. "When both of those guys are on their game, it's a pretty good deal for us."

Vanderjagt came out and made 5-of-7 shots, including 2-of-3 from behind the 3-points line, to score 12 of his game-high 18 points by halftime. The hot shooting helped the Rams carry a 33-30 lead into the break.

"I let the game come to me," Vanderjagt said. "I wasn't looking to score at first, but I hit a layup and an open jumper, then I got into a flow."

Briggs took over the flow in the second half.

After intermission, Briggs scored 10 of his 16 points and grabbed five key rebounds, allowing Rockford to stretch its lead to 11 points after three quarters.

From there, the Rams' strong guard play kept the Falcons at bay.

"I'm very happy with how we are playing right now," Majerle said. "East Kentwood can throw some heat at you on defense, and I thought we took care of the ball well tonight.

"I thought both teams shot the ball very well in the first half. It was a tough game."

Rockford (9-6 overall, 6-4 O-K Red) connected on 66 percent of its first-half shots, compared to 58 percent for East Kentwood (10-6, 5-5).

The Rams stepped upped their defense in the second half and limited the Falcons to 42-percent shooting by the end of the night.

Sophomore guard A.J. McEwen was the lone East Kentwood player in double digits. He scored 10 points, including eight in the fourth quarter when East Kentwood made a run at the Rams.

"This is a big win for us," Majerle said. "It is always hard to win on the road in the conference, and East Kentwood is a very good team."